Republic Capital Group has announced the receipt of a minority, non-controlling investment from Merchant Investment Management.
This development signifies Republic’s position as a leader in providing investment banking services to the wealth and asset management sector and underlines its commitment to delivering comprehensive investment banking solutions for wealth and asset management firms and their clients.
Merchant Investment Management oversees an ecosystem comprising $180bn in assets within the wealth and asset management industry. The firm has a history of investments in various service providers, including those focused on regulatory compliance, technology, business transition, and accounting services.
Since its establishment nine years ago, Republic Capital Group has significantly influenced the wealth and asset management industry by creating and leading numerous notable transactions. In 2019, the firm was recognised with the “Financial Services Deal of the Year” award by M&A Advisor, surpassing competitors such as Yahoo and PayPal. In both 2022 and 2023, Republic advised on more wealth management assets transacted than any other group in the industry. In 2023, the firm played a pivotal role in the largest acquisition of a CPA firm by a wealth management firm in history, representing Creative Planning in its acquisition of BerganKDV.
This achievement, along with several other significant transactions, led to Republic winning the “M&A Deal of the Year” across all categories and being named “Boutique Investment Banking Firm of the Year” for 2023 by M&A Advisor.
John Langston, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Republic, expressed his satisfaction with the investment, stating, “We are pleased to receive this investment and be part of a concerted effort to support and build the independent wealth and asset management services ecosystem broadly. Merchant’s willingness to collaborate with other industry players along with their deep understanding of our space made them an ideal partner for us.”
Marc Spilker, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Merchant, remarked, “Merchant and Republic are united by a shared vision for the wealth management industry: to ensure the RIA community has access to the best advice, execution, and capital formation. The strength of this partnership lies in the alignment of our values and the cultural synergy between both firms, which will drive its success.”
John Langston further acknowledged the contributions of his team, saying, “I want to thank our deal team at Republic of Marc Irizarry (Partner), Jim Collins (General Counsel), Blake Cargill (Partner), and Vic Esclamado (Partner) for their exceptional work and support on this project. Thank you to the entire Republic team for all your work and belief in building something special. You are what is special about Republic, and I’m deeply grateful for you.”
